Chicago Bears training camp countdown: Five days

Is anyone else getting excited as this countdown winds its way to its epic conclusion? Writing these posts, it is very exciting to think that in just a few short days it will be all over and we'll have daily round ups to write with beat reporter tweets about who looked good in 7-on-7 in shells and shorts.

Training camp fever: catch it or be cut like Fendi Onobun.

To think about it in the context of something else, five days is just a workweek away. We're at a point now that it is like today is Monday and we are looking ahead to the glorious, glorious Friday.

That said, there is still a little bit of counting to do. Today's number is five.

Five: The number of wins the Bears had last season.

...

Wait, that is exceedingly low and depressing. This is a proud franchise, should that really be one of the numbers that I use to build excitement for the new season? I'm trying to remain positive here, build optimism and hope.

*Looks over stats, records, anything he can find Bears-related*

Uh, all right so there aren't a whole lot of "fives" showing up. Well there is this, but its sort of a stretch: Five for the five (point five) sacks Jared Allen had.

Not exactly a great number either, frankly, but still more room for optimism.

Allen struggled in his first year in Chicago and certainly fell short of the lofty expectations that fans and the media had for him. He missed a game with pneumonia, which cost him precious weight and by the time he was getting back to strength the team had already packed it in. I'm sure the unimaginative and poorly coached Mel Tucker unit around him didn't help either.

Now, at age 33 he will be learning a new position and playing OLB for the first time in his career. So far he's been all positive, talking up both coordinator Vic Fangio as well as the adjustment to an unfamiliar role.

Last season former Bear Julius Peppers successfully transitioned to OLB at age 34, racking up seven sacks and two interceptions returned for TDs. But Peppers has always had a freak athleticism that Allen isn't known for. Could Allen possibly transition to a new position effectively and in one offseason?

How many sacks do you think Allen will have this year?